the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters’ Taishi Ota, a free agent, is not a candidate for the Yomiuri Giants

It was a surprising “release”.

On November 16, Nippon-Ham announced that they would not offer contracts to three proven players, including Taishi Ota (31), who also played fourth base, Haruki Nishikawa, and Ryo Akiyoshi. They were effectively given free agency.

He was drafted first overall by the Yomiuri Giants in 2009 and was expected to be a long-distance right-handed hitter, but he failed to hit double-digit home runs once. In 2007, he set career highs with a .289 batting average and 20 home runs, and has grown into one of the mainstays of the team.

The reason why Ohta failed to blossom with the Yomiuri Giants was because of excessive expectations. Manager Tatsunori Hara, who was also born in Tokai University Sagami (Kanagawa Prefecture), used Ota heavily from the beginning of his career. He had him inherit the number 55 from Hideki Matsui, who had moved to the Yankees. In an interview with this newspaper (June 8, 2006 issue), Ota recalled the pressure he felt at the time.

I was thinking, “Why me? I felt like, “Why me? I was an 18-year-old kid with no experience or accomplishments in the Koshien National Championship, and suddenly the media was paying attention to me every day. I felt overwhelmed by the impatience to become a big hitter like Mr. Matsui as soon as possible and the high expectations of the people around me.

Ohta went through hell at the Yomiuri Giants. Ohta’s comments continue.

I was in a state of panic, receiving all kinds of advice from various people. I lost sight of myself and couldn’t produce any results. I was depressed more than I should have been, and I even acted puffed up. More than once, I cried tears of regret behind the bench so that other players would not see me. I was at my lowest point.

Attachment to the juniors at his alma mater

At the Yomiuri Giants, coaches and alumni have a strong voice. He changed his hitting style every year as he was told, but his performance never improved. I’m getting a lot of heartfelt criticism from fans: “Give me back my number 55! and “Give me back my number 55!

However, Nippon-Ham had a laissez-faire policy. His manager at the time, Hideki Kuriyama, gave him a single piece of advice: “Just be yourself and be bold. Once he stopped thinking about unnecessary things, his performance naturally improved. These were his words at the time.

I don’t think about anything else, and I can play freely. I don’t have to be afraid of the result, I can just keep swinging.

Although he had a poor season this year, batting .204 with three home runs, he has hit double-digit home runs for four consecutive years with Nippon Ham. He has a good track record. He was released on a free agent basis as part of the team’s policy to rejuvenate itself under new manager Tsuyoshi Shinjo, but there are definitely teams that will try to acquire him. It is rumored that he will return to the Yomiuri Giants.

Ota moved to Nippon Ham when Yoshinobu Takahashi was the former manager. Manager Hara still has a strong attachment to Ohta, who is a junior at his alma mater. He would be the perfect person to shore up the thin outfield lineup,” said a Giants team official.

However, after hitting rock bottom with the Yomiuri Giants, Ota seems to have a strong allergy to the Yomiuri Giants. In the interview mentioned above, he said.

The last eight years with the Yomiuri Giants were a battle with myself. I don’t want to go through that again.

If he doesn’t want to move to the Yomiuri Giants, he can go to ……. If he doesn’t want to move to the Yomiuri Giants, there is one team that has emerged as a possible trade destination.

I’m not sure what to do. Ota is from Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture. He is a native of Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture, and is likely to be well-liked by the Carp. Hiroshima would also love to have a right-handed cannon. Seiya Suzuki, the main gun of the team, is likely to move to the majors this off-season using the posting system. As a replacement for Suzuki, right-handed hitters such as Shota Dobayashi were expected to take his place, but there is no denying that they lack real power. I think Ohta is the right guy for the job.

What team will Ohta wear the uniform of next season? It is said that there is already a battle going on behind the scenes to acquire a big gun.